The Bomber
by AliasCWN
Summary: There is a bomber running loose on the base and only a member of the Rat Patrol knows his identity.
1. Chapter 1

**The Bomber **

By: AliasCWN

Chapter 1

He opened his eyes and tried to place the sounds he heard around him; moans and rustling...and whispers, female by the sounds of it. He moved his head to look around and the pain exploded behind his eyes. His moan mingled with the others in the room.

Soft hands touched his arm and a female voice made soothing sounds. He opened his eyes to look up into the concerned face of an army nurse. She smiled at him and reached for something above his head.

"Would you like some water?"

He nodded carefully, mindful of the pain lurking behind his eyes.

The nurse held the metal cup in front of his face. Cool fingers slid behind his neck, supporting his head. He tried to help but he discovered that he was weaker than he thought. The strain on his neck muscles made his head hurt again. He relaxed and let the nurse hold his head up for him.

The cool liquid that slid down his throat was the best thing that he had ever tasted. It was plain water but his throat was so parched that it seemed like the nectar of the gods; better than any water he remembered. He tried to get more but the nurse pulled the cup away from his lips.

"Easy. Easy. Too much will make you sick." She put the cup back on the stand where she found it and urged him to lie back. "I'll see that you get more later. Right now I need to check your bandages."

Bandages? He didn't remember having any bandages. Looking down he was surprised to see that his chest and arms were wrapped in pristine white bandages. Funny, he didn't remember seeing them before. He lifted his hand to run his fingers through his hair but his fingers met more bandages. Startled eyes rose to meet those of the nurse.

"Don't you remember being hurt?"

He shook his head slowly. The slow side to side movement didn't elicit the same response the earlier nod had generated. This time there was a moment of dizziness as the whole room started to spin. He closed his eyes quickly to quell the uprising of his stomach in response. It was unsettling to get dizzy just moving his head. He concentrated on the rough brush of the sheets against his back where the bandages didn't cover. When he felt balanced again he opened his eyes to look at the nurse.

"Where am I?"

"Base hospital. Don't you remember?"

"No." He croaked. He closed his eyes again as the effort to talk made his throat hurt.

The nurse looked into his face and frowned. "I'll get the doctor." Before he could ask another question she was gone.

His brow wrinkled into a frown as he tried to remember how he had ended up on in the hospital. The visions were hazy, fragmented, hard to piece together. He remembered a loud noise, not gunshots, louder. Trying to figure it out made his head ache again.

The nurse returned with a tall, muscular man with a white coat. She smiled at him as she indicated the man in white. "The doctor will help you understand what is happening."

He nodded slowly, eyeing the doctor as the nurse stepped back. The doctor took his wrist in a firm but gentle grasp and checked his pulse. Next he took the stethoscope from his pocket and checked his heart and lungs. The doctor pushed gently on his head until he relaxed on the pillow. Scooting a seat closer to the bed the doctor sat down so he could lean forward and check his eyes. He produced a small penlight from another pocket and proceeded to shine it into his eyes.

The light hurt and he pulled back involuntarily.

"Easy soldier, this will only take a second."

"Hurts."

"I know, but it's necessary."

"Why?"

The doctor chuckled. "Why? So I can determine the best treatment for you, that's why."

"Am I sick?"

"Sick?" The doctor paused. "No, not sick. You were injured in an explosion."

"An explosion? What blew up?"

"You did." The doctor explained. "You and half a dozen other men who were in the wrong place at the wrong time."

"Did the others make it?"

"Some did," the doctor explained as he slid back from the bed, "some didn't. Two were killed in the blast and another one died yesterday."

"Yesterday? How long have I been here?" The words were starting to slur as fatigue overtook him.

"Three days."

The doctor's voice faded as the light gave way to cool, blessed darkness.

The light in the room was weaker when he opened his eyes again. It was nearly nightfall he realized, the end of another day. What day though? He vaguely remembered the doctor saying that he had been in the hospital for three days. What had happened during those three days? What had he missed?

A different nurse stopped by his bed when she noticed that he was awake.

"Hello soldier. Is there anything I can get you? Are you in pain?" Her voice softened at the lost look on his face. "It's normal to be confused after head trauma. After all, you were very nearly blown up. Don't worry, things will clear up and you'll be back to normal in no time." She patted his leg to comfort him. "Would you like a sip of water?"

He nodded his head carefully. As he watched her reach for the water a tiny voice in his head chuckled. _What is normal for us_? He could hear the voice like the speaker was standing right over him but he couldn't associate it with a name or face. A second voice echoed in his head with a slow drawl, _crazy works for us_. He frowned. What kind of a comment was that?

"Here's your water." The nurse's voice drown out the others as she held the cup out to him. Once again cool fingers slid behind his neck to help him lift his head. This time he was expecting the weakness so he didn't even try to help. The nurse lifted his head slowly as he closed his eyes, expecting the room to spin. To his surprise he didn't feel any of the anticipated dizziness. Grateful for small improvements, he opened his eyes to see the cup in front of his lips.

He drank half of the liquid before the nurse pulled the cup away. She lowered his head and adjusted the pillow to what she thought was a more comfortable position. "Do you need pain meds? I can call the doctor."

He mentally did an inventory of his aches and pains. They weren't too bad; his earlier pain medications must not have worn off yet. "I'm okay." He managed to reply. To his relief he noticed that his voice wasn't as hoarse as it had been earlier.

"All right." The nurse nodded and smiled at him. "If you change your mind, just let me know."

"Okay." Like that was going to happen. He needed a clear head to figure out what was going on. There were too many unanswered questions for him to dull his senses with drugs. He turned his head to watch as the nurse stopped at the next bed.

"Is that one of the guys who got blown up with me?" He was proud that he had managed to get that entire question out without his voice breaking.

"Yes." The nurse answered while looking up at him expectantly. "Do you know him?"

He stared at the battered face of the young soldier. "I don't think so." He answered. "Who is he?" The left side of the boy's face was covered in still healing cuts. His light hair was sticking out of the bandages around his head like straw from a scarecrow. His chest was wrapped in bandages too.

The nurse looked at the chart at the end of the bed. "Jefferson, Alex."

Disappointment made him sigh. "That doesn't sound familiar. I don't think I know him."

"That doesn't surprise me. The explosion was at the motor pool. That's a pretty busy area of the base. I'm sure there are people coming and going there all of the time. I wouldn't expect anyone to know them all."

"I guess." He answered. "But I don't know why I was there either."

The nurse smiled sympathetically. "I can't help you there. Maybe some of these other guys can help when they wake up. They seem to know you." The nurse gave the chart one last look and went about her rounds.

They seem to know you. That comment made him realize that he didn't know who he was. He didn't even know his own name! That realization sent a shot of near panic through him. What if he never remembered? He looked around for the nurse. "Nurse!"

The nurse hurried back to his side. "What is it?"

"What if they can't help me?"

The nurse looked startled and confused at first but then understanding softened her expression. "According to your chart the doctor thinks your confusion is a result of the explosion. He expects you to remember everything and make a full recovery. These things take time."

He nodded thoughtfully. "I hope he's right."

"You were lucky to survive the blast." The nurse offered. "Not everyone did."

"I know." He replied. "I heard."

"You should rest now." She urged. "The doctor will check on you in the morning. If you need anything I will be doing the rounds regularly."

"Thank you."

She nodded and moved on to the next patient. This one stirred when she adjusted his blankets. A low moan issued from his lips and his body shifted restlessly. The nurse acted quickly to administer a shot of morphine, and then hovered over the patient until he quieted. She checked his pulse before moving on to the next bed.

He watched her check on each patient as she made her way down the long line of cots. Lying on his back he couldn't really see the faces of the other patients, only the ones on either side of him. They were both asleep and he couldn't ask them any questions. He tried to place them but neither of them looked familiar to him. Knowing that answers would have to wait until morning, he closed his eyes. Sleep was slow in coming as the questions tumbled around in his head.

Quiet voices penetrated his sleep. He opened his eyes to see the doctor standing at the foot of the next bed staring down at a clipboard in his hand. "Keep an eye on him and let me know immediately if there are any changes."

The day nurse nodded as she reached for the clipboard.

Jefferson, that was the patient's name. He remembered. Funny, he could remember the other guy's name but he couldn't remember his own. The nurse said the doctor expected him to make a full recovery, but she hadn't said when it would happen. He had a lot of questions and very few answers.

The doctor looked over and saw him watching. Handing the nurse the clipboard the doctor made his way around the bed. Stopping at his side the doctor looked down at him. "And how are you feeling?"

"Weak." He answered honestly. "And confused. I can't remember anything."

"It will come back." The doctor encouraged. "Just give it a little time."

"How much time? I can't help but feel that I've forgotten something, something very important."

"That's understandable." The doctor nodded. "Forgetting your past probably does leave you feeling lost."

He nodded, not at all satisfied with the answer.

"I want you to take it easy sergeant."

"Sergeant?"

"Yes, sergeant." The doctor confirmed. "Relax and enjoy the break from the war. You'll be back out there getting shot at soon enough."

"Shot at? I thought I got caught by a bomb."

"This time it was an explosion." The doctor nodded as he made a note on the chart at the foot of the bed. "But that was sabotage; it doesn't happen that often around here."

"How did it happen?"

"Someone planted a bomb in one of the trucks in the motor pool." The doctor explained. "They think it may have been a German sympathizer. No one has been caught yet."

"I don't remember." He shook his head. "I have this vague memory of a really loud noise."

The doctor nodded again and made another note on the chart. "That would be the bomb. If you remember that then you are already starting to get your memory back. Let it happen naturally Sergeant. Don't try to force it, it will only set you back." The doctor hooked the chart on the foot of the bed and smiled. "Rest Sergeant, it's the best thing for you."

With the nurse following the doctor moved on to the patient who had been moaning the night before. The patient was quiet now, sleeping comfortably. The doctor and the nurse continued to work their way down the row of patients. He wanted to call them back and ask them his name, but they were busy, and he didn't want to be a bother.

"Hey, are you all right?"

He turned at the question to face the soldier on the other side of him.

"You sure were out quite a while. I saw you fly back into that truck. You were out like a light."

He glanced down at the bandages on his body and shrugged. "I guess so."

"Your buddy didn't look so good either. Not as bad as you, but beat up pretty bad too." The soldier went on.

"My buddy?"

"Yeah, that guy over there."

He turned to look where the other soldier pointed but all he could see was a dark head with the blankets pulled up to the chin. He tried to sit up but his ribs screamed in protest. He relaxed again grateful that the world didn't start spinning and the drums in his head were muted.

"Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine."

"That bomb sure did a number on a lot of guys, me included."

It took a minute for the meaning to register. The guy had seen him fly through the air; he had to have been at the motor pool or close to it. "You were there."

"Yeah." The soldier smiled. "And lucky to be alive. I was supposed to be picking up a truck. The dang thing blew up before I could reach it." The soldier grinned self-consciously. "But I guess that was a good thing, right? It could have been worse; it could have blown up after I reached it."

Ignoring the soldier's story he looked the soldier in the eye. "Do you know who I am?"

"Sure, almost everybody knows who you are. At least by reputation."

"But do you know my name?"

"Don't you?" The soldier looked at him curiously.

"I don't remember." He admitted. "I don't remember anything."

"Hey, that's too bad. But if you have questions maybe you had better ask those guys over there."

"What guys?" He twisted to see who the soldier meant. Two privates were making their way between the beds toward him. As they got closer they separated. One stopped at one of the other beds while the second one continued toward his bed.

"Hi Sarge! It's good to see you awake." The blond private stopped next to the bed and smiled down at him.

That bright smile was familiar, very familiar, but he still didn't have a name to go with it. The smile faded as he continued to stare at the private without returning the greeting.

"What's wrong Sarge?" Concern darkened the private's blue eyes. He looked around to see if anyone was bothering the sergeant.

"Sarge? The doctor told me I'm a sergeant, but what's my name? He didn't tell me that."

"Your name? What are you talking about Sarge?"

"He can't remember his name." The soldier in the next bed offered helpfully.

"Troy. Your name is Sam Troy." The blond private answered as he pulled up a chair. His expression turned from confused to worried, almost frightened. "What's going on Sarge? You aren't kidding are you?"

"I'm not kidding." He growled. "Sam Troy." He repeated. "What's your name?"

"My name?" The blond looked shocked. "Don't you remember me either?"

He shook his head.

"What about Tully?"

"Who is Tully?"

"Sarge!" The blond wailed. "Doc, you remember Doc at least."

"Yeah." He nodded. "I talked to him this morning. He's the one who told me I was a sergeant." Troy paused. "He told me my memory would come back but he didn't say when."

"Didn't he tell you your name?"

"No." Troy shook his head marginally, waiting to see if the movement made him dizzy. When it didn't he turned his head to look for the doctor.

The blond pulled his chair closer to the bed and made himself comfortable. "My name is Mark Hitchcock but you call me Hitch." The blond pointed to the private who had walked in with him. "That's Tully, Tully Pettigrew."

Troy nodded again. "Who is he talking to?"

The blond looked shocked again. "That's Doc. You said you talked to Doc this morning. Was Doc awake or wasn't he?"

"That's Doc? I thought you meant the doctor. Is Doc the medic for our unit? Is that why you call him Doc?" Troy frowned as he tried to sort out all of the information.

"It's his nickname. You gave it to him. We all call him Doc." Hitch answered. "He's not an official medic but he does most of the doctoring for our unit."

"That's why we call him Doc?"

"No." Hitch frowned. "We call him Doc cause he doesn't like being called Sarge."

"Why would you call him Sarge? I thought I was the sergeant."

"Doc has a doctorate in anthropology and he doesn't mind being called doc. It does help keep everyone from getting confused when we holler Sarge."

Troy nodded his head and instantly regretted it. "What's his real name?"

"Sergeant Jack Moffitt." Hitch answered.

"Moffitt? What kind of name is that?"

"He's English Sarge, remember?"

He was starting to get tired. The information was starting to get all jumbled in his thoughts. "What's an Englishman doing in our army?"

"He's not in our army." Hitch replied with another worried look. "He's in the British army but he's on loan to us. You asked for him, remember?"

"And we got him blown up?"

"Yeah, but you got blown up too." Hitch answered defensively.

Troy smiled weakly. "Yeah, I did, I guess."

"You don't remember that either." The blond stated.

"No." Troy closed his eyes as his headache returned with a vengeance.

"You'd better get some rest Sarge." The blond stood and pushed his chair back out of the way. "I'll come back later. Tully and I are helping out in the motor pool until you and Doc recover. With the explosion they're short on mechanics."

"Are you mechanics?"

Hitch shook his head and turned back to face him. "No Sarge, we're not mechanics. We drive your jeeps. We work for you." Hitch sighed. "You rest; I'll come back later and answer more questions for you."

Troy closed his eyes and Hitch took that as an agreement. Hitch rejoined Tully and the two young men left the building. Troy tried to sleep but slumber eluded him. Giving up after a while he opened his eyes to look around the room. To his surprise, Tully was once again sitting next to Sergeant Moffitt's bedside. He hadn't seen him come back in. He looked around but the one called Hitch hadn't returned.

Unable to sleep he spent the next hour watching the lean private read to the injured man in the bed. The private's fondness for the injured sergeant was evident in the way he gently adjusted the blankets and pillows on the bed.

The lanky private looked up and caught him watching. Throwing him a rakish grin the private stood up and placed his book on the bed next to the other sergeant. Stretching, he ambled over and stood next to Troy's bed. "Can't sleep Sarge?"

"I guess I slept too much earlier." Troy answered.

The private nodded. "I guess that can happen." He looked right and left to check the other patients. "These other guys don't seem to be having any trouble."

"I'm not these other guys." Troy growled.

Tully smiled. "You got that right Sarge." He pulled the chair Hitch had used closer to the bed. "We can talk if you want…as long as we keep our voices down. We don't want to disturb these other guys." Tully made himself comfortable as he waited for Troy to open the conversation.

Troy watched him until the silence began to get uncomfortable. The private looked back at him with calm brown eyes that seemed more amused than irritated. "You don't mind talking? You don't mind spending time answering my questions?"

Tully smiled and shook his head. "Ask away Sarge, I'll answer anything I can."

"I don't think Private Hitchcock wanted to answer my questions."

Tully shook his head. "Hitch would do anything for you Sarge. I think it shook him up a little that you don't remember things, especially us. But he would have answered anything you asked, he just had to go on duty. He'll be back."

Troy nodded, filing the information away for later. "So your name is Tully?"

"You remembered."

"Not really, Hitch told me." Troy admitted.

"Do you remember Hitch yet?"

"No, he's a stranger named Hitch who happens to know more about me than I know about myself." Troy growled. "I know I should know him, but I don't remember him."

"Hitch says the doctor thinks you'll make a full recovery, you just need to wait for it to happen." Tully smiled softly.

"Wait?" Troy repeated. "Again, I'm mostly guessing, but I have a feeling I'm not a big fan of waiting."

"Right again." Tully chuckled.

"So now what?"

Tully shrugged and grinned. "We could talk or you could try to get more rest. I'm sure the doctor would prefer you try to sleep."

"I'm tired, I'm just not that tired."

"Okay." Tully nodded. "What do you want to talk about?"

"Tell me about Sergeant Moffitt."

"Doc?"

"Yeah, Doc, what's he like?"

Tully smiled fondly as he glanced toward the man in question. "Doc's a quiet guy. He's real cool under pressure. Smart too. One of the smartest guys I've ever met. He does have a strange liking for going undercover and playing thief or spy. He speaks German and is the one who usually ends up getting sent into German strongholds to get information. Doc loves it though." Tully smiled again. "We've had to pull him out more than a few times but it doesn't faze him. He actually enjoys it. He says he likes a challenge."

"Do we get along?"

"You and Doc?" Tully asked for clarification.

Troy nodded.

"Sure." Tully nodded. "You two get along just fine. He's your second-in-command and between the two of you you keep us all safe."

"It doesn't seem like I kept him safe." Troy replied solemnly.

"It wasn't your fault." Tully assured him. "You got hurt too. Worse than Doc even." Tully frowned. "I don't think anyone expected someone to blow up the motor pool."

"What were we doing there?"

"You and Doc were dropping off orders for the motor pool to do some work on our jeeps. Hitch and I were on our way to supply to get what we needed to restock them for the next time out. We heard the explosion and ran back to help."

"Private Hitchcock said you were both working in the motor pool now."

"Hitch, Sarge, call him Hitch or he'll be upset. He's really worried about you. And yeah, we're both pretty handy around vehicles. With some of the mechanics hurt or killed in the blast they were short on help. We're running a lot of convoys and the Germans are hitting them. Quite a few of those trucks need to be repaired; it's keeping the place busy. With you and Doc in here, Hitch and I didn't have much else to do. The Captain figured we would stay out of trouble if we were kept busy in the motor pool."

Troy ignored that little gem in favor of more information. "What about the rest of my men?"

Tully shook his head. "We're not a squad Sarge; we're a long range desert patrol. We do mostly recon although we do manage to get in quite a bit of sabotage and taking out convoys. The four of us are it; there aren't any others, just us."

"Is Sergeant Moffitt going to be all right?" Troy suddenly felt guilty for not asking sooner. If they were friends that is the first thing he should have asked.

"Doc's a tough guy to kill." Tully glanced at the injured man again and nodded. "I think he's going to be okay. He was awake earlier. He was asking about you too. Of course, he remembers you." Tully grinned mischievously.

"You take care of him. Make sure he gets what he needs." Troy ordered.

"I'll take care of him Sarge, and I'll take care of you too. And Hitch will be back later to relieve me while I go on duty. We take care of each other, always have, always will. You just rest and let us take care of both of you. We got this Sarge."

Tully looked so confident that Troy felt that he could relax and let the two younger men do just that. He couldn't remember either one of them but he had a good feeling about them.

"I guess I'll try to get some sleep after all." Troy answered with a yawn.

"Good night Sarge."

"Good night." Troy watched as Tully returned to Sergeant Moffitt's bedside and picked up his book. His quiet narration of the book's content lulled Troy to sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

**The Bomber **

By:AliasCWN

Chapter 2

"How are you feeling Sarge?"

Troy turned his head to see Private Hitchcock sitting by his bed. The young soldier's wide smile brightened the room. Troy couldn't help but feel better just seeing it.

"Sarge?" The smile faded to be replaced by a look of concern. "Are you in pain? Do you want me to find a doctor?" The blond got to his feet and took a step away from the bed.

"No." Troy's answer stopped him in his tracks.

"No what Sarge? You're not in pain or you don't want a doctor?"

"Both." Troy responded. "I'm fine."

"Fine?" The private gasped. "Sarge, that bomb nearly killed you! Oh! You don't remember that do you?"

"No I don't." Troy admitted. "But I've been told by several different people that that's what happened. Until I get my memory back I guess I'll just have to take their word for it." Troy tried to smile at the younger man's shocked expression. "I didn't mean to make light of it. I know you mean well, but I'm fine, really."

"I'm just worried about you. You and Doc both."

"I know. Tully talked to me a while last night. He explained how we take care of each other. I guess I'm lucky to have friends like you."

"We're the lucky ones." The private managed to give Troy another of his bright smiles.

Troy nodded carefully. He looked around the room for Tully but the other private was gone. When he looked back at Hitchcock he noticed that the paperback that Tully had been reading was tucked into one of his pockets. "Do you read to Sergeant Moffitt too?" He tilted his head toward the book.

Hitchcock glanced down at the book and nodded. "Tully likes it when we read to him when he's hurt so we started doing it for the rest of us too. I can read it to you if you want."

"That's okay." Troy thanked him. "I don't want to take you away from Sergeant Moffitt."

"That's okay, Doc is sleeping. We can just talk if you want. You said you talked to Tully last night. Did he answer your questions for you?"

"Some." Troy nodded. "He kept me company until I could fall asleep."

The private calling himself Hitch nodded. "You still don't remember us do you?"

Troy looked embarrassed. "I'm afraid not."

"That's okay, you will." The blond answered confidently.

"That unforgettable huh?" Troy grunted.

Hitch gave him a smile so familiar yet so new that he wished he could tell the young soldier that he knew him. Not just because that would meant that he had his memory back, but because he wanted to know him. Both of the privates had shown obvious concern for him and Sergeant Moffitt. Both had been confident that he would remember them, an assurance he had found comforting in a world that was so unfamiliar. He wondered what he had done to warrant their loyalty.

"Tell me about me."

"You?" Hitch looked confused at first but then he blushed and looked uncomfortable.

"Yes, me." Troy answered. "You said you know me. You're not the only ones I forgot; I don't remember anything about me either. I'm as much a stranger to myself as you are to me. Tell me about me."

The young blond blushed again and Troy began to wonder if there was something they weren't telling him, something he may not want to know.

"You're our sergeant." The blond began. "Our leader. You take care of us. You don't treat us like we're expendable. This outfit would all apart if anything happened to you."

"I doubt that." Troy huffed.

"It's true Sarge! You're the one who comes up with the plans for the missions. When we get caught you're the one who figures out how to get us free. You're the brains of the outfit. Doc is smart too; real smart, but you're our leader. We trust you with our lives and you take care of us. We take care of each other. We know we can count on you when it gets tough."

"You make it sound as if you don't count for much." Troy growled in embarrassment. "If we're a team then we all do our part."

Hitch smiled. "Yeah, we do. And you acknowledge out part. That's part of why we'd follow you anywhere. It's just that to some sergeants and officers a private doesn't get any credit for what he does. You always listen to us when we have something to say. You may not always agree with us but you always listen. That means a lot. It makes us feel like what we do matters."

"Everybody matters." Troy growled.

The blond smiled again. "That's what makes you such a great team leader; you make us feel like we're part of something bigger than us."

Now Troy tried to hide a blush. He wondered how long it had been since he had actually blushed in front of someone else. He wished he could answer even one question about himself, anything at all.

"I'm not trying to embarrass you Sarge." The private continued. "But you asked." He went on to repeat everything he knew about Troy's background, which wasn't much. "You keep a lot to yourself Sarge. I wish I could tell you more but you don't share a lot of the personal stuff."

"I guess I'm a private person." Troy decided.

"Tully says you're like a river, quiet but deep. There's a lot going on underneath but you look calm and quiet on the surface. The strong, silent type." The private smiled.

Troy laughed softly at the description. "It that's true then we've hit some whitewater. It feels like my life is tumbling over a rough patch right about now."

"But you can handle it Sarge, and it's going to get smoother soon. Tully and I talked to the doctor and he's confident that you'll get your memories back. That bump on your head just scrambled your brains for a bit. He says you just need to get plenty of rest and try not to force it. He says they'll come back on their own if you relax and give them a chance."

"That's easy for him to say, he knows who he is." Troy growled. "I just want my life back."

"We want you to remember too." Hitch answered. "Doc thinks you may have seen the bomber before the explosion." The private stopped talking as he realized what he'd said. "We don't want to push you Sarge, but you may know who he is."

"The bomber?"

"Yeah." Hitch nodded hesitantly. "I wasn't supposed to say anything. The doc doesn't want to put any pressure on you to remember."

"What makes him think I may know?"

Hitch hesitated again. "The bomber planted a bomb in one of the trucks. You and Doc were on your way to the motor pool to drop off a work order. Doc said you saw someone running away just before the bomb went off. He didn't see anything but he is sure you did. He said the two of you turned away to investigate just before the bomb exploded. If you hadn't you would have been closer to the blast. The MP's want to talk to you as soon as you start getting your memory back. The bomber got away and he has been busy. He planted a bomb near the mess tent. Someone found it before it detonated but it would have been bad if it had gone off while the mess tent was busy. They found another one outside of the supply building. Someone noticed a wire behind a barrel and called that one in. This guy is going to kill more people unless we can find him."

"And you think I may know who he is?"

"We're hoping you can at least give the MP's some sort of description. The entire base is on high alert and everyone is as jumpy as a cat on a hot roof."

"What if I can't identify him?"

Hitch shrugged. "Then they'll have to find him some other way. Sooner or later he'll make a mistake. All we can do is hope he slips up before anyone else gets killed. Everybody is watching for him now."

Troy shook his head. "I don't remember, I wish I did, but I don't."

"I know. I shouldn't have said anything to you about it. The doctor said the best thing would be to let your memories come back on their own. He said trying to force them might only set you back. Don't worry about it Sarge, they'll catch the guy."

"Before or after he kills again?"

Hitch looked like he wanted to change the subject but Troy wouldn't let it go.

"Did I say anything at all to Sergeant Moffitt about the guy?"

"He said you saw someone run out from behind the trucks and duck behind the building. You thought it looked suspicious so the two of you were going to try to follow the guy. You had just turned away when the bomb exploded and threw you both into the side of another truck. You didn't tell him anything about the guy except that he looked suspicious."

"Maybe it wasn't the bomber."

"Maybe not, but no one came forward to say that they were there. The mechanics who survived the blast said they didn't see anyone and no one was supposed to be there. So far no one else has reported seeing anyone leave the motor pool before the blast."

"And Sergeant Moffitt didn't see the guy?"

"No, he was on the other side of you and his view was blocked by the truck."

Troy nodded thoughtfully. "How is Sergeant Moffitt doing?"

"The doctors say he's going to be okay. He got thrown into the same truck that you hit. He hurt his shoulder, broke a rib and cracked another one and caught a few small pieces of shrapnel. It would have been a lot worse if you had been any closer. Turning away when you did probably saved both of your lives." Hitch looked toward the sleeping man and smiled affectionately. "Doc's tough, like you, he'll be back on duty in no time. He said they're going to release him in a couple of days." The blond looked back at Troy. "He was asking about you too. He should be waking up soon. He wants to talk to you. He asked if they could move one of you so you're next to each other. I think the doctors agreed to his request."

"What does he want to talk about? I can't remember anything."

"I think he just wants to see for himself that you're okay. You're always asleep when he's awake."

Troy yawned. "Or he's always asleep when I'm awake."

Hitch smiled. "That could be it too." He admitted. "You just rest Sarge. I'm going to go check on Doc."

Troy closed his eyes and heard the private move away from his bedside. Before he could process all that he had been told the heavy sleep of the exhausted took over. He sank into the peaceful blackness, temporarily forgetting that he had no past.


	3. Chapter 3

**The Bomber **

By: AliasCWN

Chapter 3

He was talking to Moffitt, an easy conversation that evolved around the two young privates in the unit. The privates were getting supplies for the jeeps, getting them ready to go out again. Moffitt was telling him about a conversation he had been having with his driver. Somehow, he wasn't sure how, but Troy knew that the other sergeant meant Tully.

Even in his dream he understood that Tully and Moffitt shared a special bond. During his talk with Tully the lanky private had frequently turned to look toward the other sergeant. Hitch had too, though not as often. Yes, he knew the other sergeant was talking about Tully. A sense of satisfaction settled over him at the realization that he was starting to know his men again. He still didn't remember them but he was getting a sense of who and what they were, and for now, that was enough.

Even in his dream there was a sense of urgency, but somehow it shifted; he no longer fought to regain his memories of his men or his life, now he fought to remember the explosion. The moments preceding it to be more exact. Hitchcock's words echoed in his head. _Doc thinks you saw the bomber. _Had he? Would he be able to identify him if his memory returned? He pushed against the wall that separated him from his memories, trying to force his way past it. The wall stood solid, dark, cold and unyielding.

He tossed in his sleep, the dream playing over and over in his head. It always started the same, with him talking to the other sergeant. Then it would progress until he could see the motor pool ahead. He knew it was the motor pool, trucks and jeeps were parked around the area waiting to be serviced. The heavy smell of motor oil and gasoline filled the air. In his sleep he turned his head, trying to get a breath of fresh air, but it didn't work. The heavy smells assaulted his senses, making his head ache with the need for fresh air.

One smell just kept getting stronger until it was the only thing he could smell. He tossed restlessly, trying identify it. It clung to his nostrils and blocked out all thoughts of anything else. He knew that smell, it was more familiar to him than his own name. The dreaming Troy had to laugh at that thought, but there was something about that smell that rang alarm bells in his head. It wasn't funny. Even the dreaming Troy didn't laugh at the smell. A sense of dread invaded his dream, causing him to toss and turn uneasily. A hand settled on his shoulder and he awoke with a start, the sweat beading on his brow.

"Easy Sarge, you're just dreaming. Take it easy." Hitchcock soothed. "We got you Sarge, you're safe. Just take it easy." Hitch was bending over him trying to calm him down, a look of concern on his face.

He looked up into the youthful face and tried to convey his sense of urgency. At first his tongue refused to cooperate but he finally pried it loose from the roof of his mouth. Reaching for the arm attached to the hand that patted his shoulder, he pulled on the arm to get his attention. "That smell. Do you smell it?" He pulled harder, trying to pull himself up. The sense of urgency hadn't dissipated when he woke up, it had only gotten stronger. Looking around, it surprised him that no one else seemed to be alarmed. True, most of them were sleeping, but he had been asleep too until Hitch woke him. He looked into the face of the blond with wide eyes. "Can you smell it?"

"What smell Sarge? What are you talking about? Take it easy." The blond gently pulled his arm free and pressed on Troy's shoulders to get him to lie back down. He looked around as if searching for a nurse.

"That smell!" Troy insisted. "Don't you smell anything?"

The blond looked down at him for a minute before lifting his head to take a good whiff. "Gasoline. One of the vehicles around here must have a gas leak." The private took another whiff to make sure he didn't smell anything else.

"No! It's getting stronger! Something's wrong!" Troy tried to sit up again. He pushed against the hands that held him in place. "It's too strong for a small leak. Besides, I didn't hear any trucks pass here. Something is wrong I tell you!"

The private's concern for his sergeant was replaced with concern for the situation. Looking around, he urged Troy to stay still. "You stay quiet Sarge; I'll go check it out." He was gone before Troy could encourage him to take back-up.

Troy leaned against the pillows at his back and continued to listen to the sounds around him. He could hear people passing outside on the street. An occasional vehicle would pass but the smell didn't weaken as the vehicles got further away. There was something wrong, he knew it!

A shout from outside had the hospital staff rushing to the door. Someone outside was yelling at everyone to get back. He could hear the panic as people cleared the streets. More shouts joined the first and the hospital staff returned, talking urgently among themselves. He watched as they gathered near the door to wait for someone to tell them what to do. They tried to reassure the patients who were starting to get restless but Troy couldn't help but notice their tense posture as they stood in the doorway. Troy wondered when Hitchcock was coming back. The longer it took the more convinced he was that something was wrong.

"Hey doc. What's going on?" A patient on the other side of the room called.

"Nothing to worry about soldier." The medic answered. "The MP's have everything under control. Go back to sleep."

"How can anyone sleep with all of that racket out there?" The curious patient called back. "Why doesn't someone go out there and find out what is going on?"

"Go to sleep or I'll give you something to help you sleep." A doctor growled.

"Okay, okay." The patient responded. "I was just asking. I thought hospitals were supposed to be quiet, restful places. This one is anything but."

"It will be if you go to sleep." A nurse answered as she tucked a blanket around the wounded soldier. "Do you need something to help you get to sleep?"

"No." The patient grumbled. "A body can't get a straight answer around here." The wounded man rolled onto his side and closed his eyes. He may not have gone to sleep but he didn't ask any more questions.

Knowing that he wouldn't get any different response Troy feigned sleep until the hospital staff went back to their duties. Opening his eyes, he waited impatiently for the blond private to return. He fell asleep still waiting.

"Hey Sarge."

When he opened his eyes again Tully was back and the blond still had not returned. Not unless he had returned while he was asleep and hadn't woke him. Troy searched the room for the blond but he wasn't there.

"Where's Hitch?"

"Getting some rest." Tully answered. "The MP's kept him up pretty late last night going over his testimony."

"His testimony? About what? What did he do?"

"Nothing." Tully answered quietly as he looked to see if anyone was listening to their conversation. The patient next to Troy had been released so his bed was empty. Any other neighbors were either asleep or too far away to overhear the low voices. "That gasoline you smelled last night…"

Troy nodded carefully, the dread returning at Tully's mention of the smell.

"Someone was planning to set this place on fire. Hitch went out back to check on the smell and chased him away. He didn't have time to finish setting the timer on the bomb he made. It was real lose though. If you hadn't smelled that gasoline and alerted Hitch…" He didn't finish the sentence but Troy could fill in the blanks for himself.

"Our mad bomber again?"

"Not so mad." Tully snorted. "Word got out that you may have seen the bomber. Most everybody knows that we're just waiting for your memory to come back so you can tell us who it is. It was supposed to stay a secret but somebody talked. It's all over the base."

"He was after me?"

"Looks that way Sarge." Tully nodded. "He was setting his bomb right outside that wall." Tully pointed to the spot on the wall nearest Troy's bed. "He must have known where your bed was located."

Troy nodded thoughtfully. "Kill me before I get my memory back."

Tully didn't need to reply.

"Why did the MP's hold Hitchcock?"

"They didn't hold him; they were just asking him questions. He's the one who found the bomb. He chased the bomber off. They wanted to know why he was back there in the first place."

"I insisted that something was wrong. He went to check it out to keep me happy." Troy paused. "He saw the bomber too. He'll be a target now too."

"He didn't get a good look. All he saw was his back as he ran away." Tully shook his head. "They've put both of you in protective custody. You'll have MP's watching you until the bomber is caught. They have guards stationed outside of our room and all around the hospital."

"Not the motor pool?"

"No, why?"

"Doesn't he work at the motor pool?"

"Not anymore." Tully shook his head. "He's a target now too so they want him to stay away from populated areas. I'll be taking his meals to him until further notice."

"I got him into this."

"You alerted him to the bomb and saved a lot of lives." Tully replied. "That bomb was meant for you but it would have killed a lot of other guys too. This bomber doesn't care about anything or anyone. It takes a special kind of creep to bomb a hospital."

"I have to remember or we have to find a way to draw that bomber out."

"The MP's are working on it Sarge. What you need to do is rest."

"How can I rest? There's a bomber running around somewhere on the base and I may know who he is. I have to remember!"

The doctor said your memory would come back sooner if you're rested. He said trying to force it could make it take longer. You can't force it Sarge."

"I have to! Lives are at stake!" Troy reached up to rub his aching head.

"All you're going to do is give yourself a headache. Rest Sarge, we got this."

Troy growled in frustration. "You stay with Hitch as much as you can. Keep him safe. I'll be all right here. They have a lot of MP's guarding the hospital."

"Yeah there are." Tully agreed. "But they aren't as particular about your safety as I am. Hitch isn't hurt; he can take care of himself."

Troy sighed. "I got him into this. I'd consider it a personal favor to me if you made sure he got out of it alive."

Tully chewed on his matchstick and regarded Troy for a moment. He glanced over at Moffitt before looking back at Troy. "This is important to you?"

"Yeah, it is. I feel responsible for him being in danger. I want to do everything I can to make sure it doesn't cost him his life. I can't protect him, but you can. Will you do it?"

"Hitch can take care of himself." Tully repeated. "But if it will make you feel better, I'll stay with him."

"Thanks."

"Anytime." Tully answered as he rose to leave.

Anytime. That one word echoed in Troy's mind. He'd known that Tully was going to say that even before he'd thanked him. He knew it was familiar, he'd heard it before, lots of times unless he missed his guess. He wanted to ask Tully about it but the lanky private had stopped to check on Moffitt and then left the room. Going to guard Hitchcock, at least that was where Troy hoped he'd gone.

They needed a plan to draw the bomber out where they could catch him, or at least identify him. He had the answer, he could feel it in his heart, he just couldn't remember.

Twisting, he swung his legs off the bed. Sitting up made him dizzy but he had to do it. He closed his eyes and waited for the room to stop spinning. He grabbed hold of the pole that held his IV and used it for support. Letting the tubes drop so that the liquid would still flow into his arm, he hobbled around the bed.


	4. Chapter 4

**The Bomber **

By: AliasCWN

Chapter 4

"Moffitt! Moffitt"

The sleeping man stirred and looked bleary-eyed at his visitor.

"Troy? What are you doing?"

"We have to talk." Troy whispered.

"Sit down before you fall down old man." The British sergeant nodded toward the chair that Tully had been using earlier. "Do the doctors know you're up?"

"No. I don't know. Forget about them." Troy shook his head impatiently. He knew once they found out they would force him back to bed. "Look Moffitt, I don't remember you."

Moffitt nodded. "I heard."

"That's not important right now." Troy rushed on. "Unless I miss my guess you're pretty close to those two privates." He waited, hoping that Moffitt wouldn't deny it.

"So are you." The Brit answered.

"I don't remember that either, but I am starting to get a sense that you're right."

Moffitt nodded and waited.

"I sent Hitchcock out to check on a strong gasoline smell last night."

"A bomb, I heard." Moffitt nodded.

"Yeah, but now he's a target for this bomber too."

"Tully said the MP's are protecting him." Moffitt confirmed.

"Do you trust them to do a good job? Will they keep him alive?" Troy's eyes glittered with emotion as he waited for an answer.

"They'll do their best."

"Is that good enough for you? Are you willing to leave his fate in the hands of overworked MPs?"

Moffitt smiled. "What do you have in mind?"

"We need to catch this bomber."

"The two of us?" Moffitt looked amused. "What would you have us do? We're both wounded. We can barely walk let alone catch a bomber."

"I don't know yet." Troy answered. "I just wanted to know if I could count on you. Does his life mean enough to you?"

"That and more." Moffitt answered truthfully.

Troy sagged in his chair, the relief evident on his battered face. "Good, I was hoping it wasn't just me."

"No, it's not just you." Moffitt assured him. "And it's not just us either." He smiled when Troy looked up with a question in his eyes. "Tully cares about Hitch too. He will protect him with his life if necessary. Hitch is family and Tully takes keeping family safe very seriously."

"They're related?"

"Not by blood." Moffitt smiled again. "But Tully has adopted all of us. He will go to any length to protect any of us. I have to admit, I feel the same way."

Troy nodded, not surprised. He'd gotten that impression while watching the privates watch over Moffitt.

"Troy, you need to rest. You aren't looking well. You will remember what you've forgotten but it won't help if you kill yourself doing it."

"It might save some lives."

Moffitt nodded. "But will yours be one of them? None of us want to lose you Troy. All I'm asking is that you don't push yourself so hard. Let others help. The doctor is confident that you will remember everything in due time. Let it happen naturally."

"And what about Hitchcock?"

"He's in good hands. Tully is a force to be reckoned with when he's in his mother bear mode." The Brit smiled.

"I believe you." Troy admitted. "But he's my responsibility and he's in danger because of me. We have to catch that bomber."

"Sergeant Troy!"

The nurse's sharp call made Troy jerk and he nearly tumbled from the chair. He looked up defiantly as the nurse stalked toward him. "Just what do you think you're doing?"

"Visiting a friend." Troy answered.

"Not in your condition! You need to stay in bed."

"Then move him to the empty bed next to me."

"Sergeant Moffitt is comfortable right where he is." The nurse insisted.

"Then I'll just have to visit him over here." Troy answered defiantly.

"If I may." Moffitt interrupted. "It might be easier, and more pleasant for everyone, if I moved to that other bed. I know Sergeant Troy and he won't be placated until I am moved over there."

"Sergeant Troy is not in charge here!" The nurse sputtered indignantly.

"No he isn't." Moffitt agreed calmly. "But you want him to stay quiet and rest. He won't do either of those things until he gets his way. Believe me; I've tried to change his mind after it's been made up. I have failed every time. He is a very determined man."

A memory flashed though his mind of someone else saying something similar. He blinked in surprise. Where had he heard that before? "Someone else said that." He stated. "I can hear it in my head but I can't remember where it was."

"I believe it was a young German nurse who failed to dissuade you from a course of action you had set your mind on pursuing. She stopped you to wish you luck as we were leaving a German field hospital." Moffitt smiled at the memory.

"A German field hospital? What were we doing there?" Troy asked in confusion.

"Saving Hitch's life." Moffitt answered solemnly.

Troy closed his eyes and he could picture his young charge lying in a coffin with his mid-section wrapped in white bandages. Troy shook his head, it couldn't be, the private was still alive. The image must be from a nightmare, he hadn't lost the private.

"Troy?"

"It's nothing Moffitt, I was just thinking about something. If you move over next to me we can visit without getting out of bed. That should work for everyone." He glanced hopefully at the nurse, too tired to argue if she disagreed.

"Oh, all right Sergeant, have it your way. We'll move Sergeant Moffitt to the empty bed next to you. At least then your other visitors can sit between your beds instead of taking up space near two beds." The nurse tried to sound grumpy but she wasn't very convincing.

Troy smiled at her triumphantly.

"Back to bed with you Sergeant." She took a firm grip on his IV pole with one hand while holding his arm with the other and led him back to his bed. He collapsed onto the thin mattress with a relieved sigh.

"No more walking around Sergeant!"

"Put Sergeant Moffitt over here and I'll stay in bed." Troy agreed.

"In a few minutes Sergeant. I have to make up the bed and get someone to help me get the sergeant over there. It wouldn't do to let him fall on the way over."

"I'll wait."

The nurse glared at him before stomping quietly off to get clean sheets for the bed.

"I didn't know it was possible to stomp without making any noise." Moffitt laughed. It was that laugh that followed Troy as he sank into a deep slumber.

He awoke to find two MP's standing at the foot of his bed. Voices from the other side caused him to roll over quickly. The room spun for a moment and then his eyes settled on the face of Private Hitchcock.

"What are you doing here? I thought you were confined to your quarters."

"They let me out to check on you."

"Check on me? Somebody wants to kill you and you come here to check on me?"

The blond shrugged. "I'm as safe here as I am in my quarters, safer. Here I have my guards, plus yours, plus Tully. In my room I only have my guards and Tully."

"What about when you're out in the street?" Troy demanded.

"The MP's brought us over in a covered truck." He indicated the MP's standing at the foot of the bed. "We went out the back door and the truck was parked right outside."

"Why would they take that chance?" Troy growled.

"Because we convinced them that seeing us might jog your memory." Tully walked up behind the MP's and nodded at Moffitt. "I watched the street Sarge. I didn't see anybody even give the truck a second glance."

"It was still risky."

Tully smiled.

"What's so funny?"

"Nothing Sarge." Tully shared a smile with Hitch. "It's just that you're starting to sound like your old self."

"Have you remembered anything? Anything at all?" Hitch asked anxiously.

"Not yet." Troy replied. "But we have a more urgent problem."

"More urgent than remembering who you are?" The blond asked.

"Yes." Troy responded. "We need to identify that bomber."

"But you don't remember him!"

"I know that!" Troy growled. "But he doesn't. We need him to think I'm getting my memory back."

"No! Then he'll really try to kill you!" The blond turned to Moffitt for support.

"Troy is right Hitch. If the bomber thinks Troy is remembering things he may get careless and do something rash. If we're ready for him we may be able to catch him."

"But Sarge would be a target!"

"He already is."

"Let me do it Doc! I'll tell them I got a good look at the guy. I'll let people hear me saying that I could identify him if I ever saw him again. He could come after me, I'm not hurt."

"It wouldn't work." Troy explained quietly. "If you could identify him you would have described him for the MPs by now. He's probably already figure out that you didn't get a good look."

"There has to be a better way!"

"Sarge doesn't have to be where everyone thinks he is." Tully suggested.

Both sergeants and the MPs turned to look at him.

"We could play the old shell game. Let it get out that we're hiding Sarge somewhere. Then we can move him secretly to another location. Let it leak that the first place is a trap and hint at where we moved him. Set guards up around both places."

"He'd go right for Sarge." Hitch argued.

"Yep." Tully agreed. "So that's where we set up our real trap."

"But what about Sarge?"

"He's safe in a third place." Tully grinned. "We'd have to be real careful moving him but I think I know how we can do it."

"Go on." Troy ordered.

"We take you to that empty building on the edge of the base." Tully explained. "That's position number one. Then we move you to a second place, the laundry building behind the showers."

"That's out of the way." Moffitt nodded. "Less chance of innocent bystanders being hurt."

"We hide MPs in there ahead of time." Tully continued. "Once a few people see us hide Sarge in there we just have to slip him away to the third location."

"Where's that?" Moffitt asked.

"Right here." Tully grinned. "Bandage his face and hide him in plain sight. Leave the MP detail here so no one wonders why they came back."

"How do we get him here?" An MP asked.

"In the laundry trucks." Tully explained. "We clear out the trucks like we're clearing out our hiding place. If we're hiding Sarge in there we wouldn't want a lot of people around."

"It might work." Moffitt agreed. "Providing we can move Troy without being spotted."

"If the bomber sees Tully and I going in there it might help convince him." Hitch suggested hopefully.

"I don't like it." Troy growled. "The plan has merit but I don't want you anywhere near there. Don't forget, you're a target too."

"Private Hitchcock can stay in his quarters under guard." One of the MP's suggested. "If you're willing to go along with this plan I think I can talk Captain Boggs into letting us give it a try."

Troy nodded. "Hitch stays clear. Talk to the captain." Troy could tell that Hitch wanted to argue but he silenced him with a look. The MP nodded and spoke to one of the other MPs near the bed. The second man nodded and shifted his position so that he had a better view of the door. The first MP hurried out of the door to go talk to the captain.


	5. Chapter 5

**The Bomber **

By: AliasCWN

Chapter 5

"All right Sergeant, we're moving you for your own safety." The MP spoke loud enough that his voice carried to most of the people in the room. "Have you remembered anything new since this morning?"

"No, but there are flashes of things that seem familiar." Troy answered in his normal voice. "It seems like things are coming back."

"Good." The MP nodded. "The minute you identify that bomber we'll arrest him. Folks will rest a lot easier around here once we catch him."

"Me too." Troy replied. "I'm ready to go when you are. I'm anxious for all of my memories to return, not just the ones about the bomber."

An orderly helped Troy to his feet and supported him as they walked to the door. Outside the door a covered truck waited to take Troy to the abandoned building. Troy stumbled and would have fallen if the orderly hadn't caught him. He reached for the tailgate of the truck for support.

"Are you sure you're up to this Troy?" Moffitt asked anxiously from the door of the hospital.

Troy nodded. "I'm going through with it. You can wait here if you want."

"I do believe I've just been insulted." Moffitt replied stiffly as he followed Troy to the truck.

"Sorry Moffitt." Troy responded. "I didn't mean it that way. I just meant that there was no reason for you to put your life in danger too."

"I can think of a lot of reasons." Moffitt answered. "You and Hitch being the two most important ones at the moment."

Troy nodded and climbed over the tailgate. Inside the truck, out of sight of the doctors, Troy leaned against the side and closed his eyes. He felt the truck move as Moffitt and the MPs joined him.

"Are you okay Sergeant?" One of the MP's asked.

"Fine." Troy answered. "My head is starting to pound is all. I guess that's to be expected with all of this moving around. I'll be fine."

"It will all be over soon." The MP tried to assure him.

Troy wished that he could be certain of that. Committed to the plan, he leaned back and tried to relax for the short ride to the abandoned building. They made a show of escorting Troy into the building before they slipped him back out again. They left a few MPs to guard the building as part of the plan. Troy was slipped back into the truck to go to the laundry building.

At the laundry building the MPs were more careful to keep Troy out of sight as they took him inside. Moffitt stayed in the truck, not part of the plan. It was decided that he should return to the hospital without Troy. His presence had only been a distraction to help move Troy about.

Once Troy was inside the laundry building the laundry barrels were loaded and the trucks were all sent away to clear the way for the trap. Troy, who was hidden in one of the barrels, was loaded into a truck taking clean sheets and bandages to the hospital. Each truck carefully followed its regular routine in making their deliveries.

At the hospital even the soldiers making the delivery were ignorant about the unusual cargo in one of the barrels. The hospital staff helped unload the laundry and took it inside. Troy was disguised with bandages over his face and returned to the ward where he would wait to see if the trap worked.

The MPs, having stayed behind to guard the hospital were already in position to keep an eye on Troy and the rest of the hospital. Moffitt had already returned to his bed, exhausted by the flurry of activity.

A doctor came around to check on the wounded, taking time to check on Troy and Moffitt specifically after all of their exercise. He frowned at the need for security at the hospital. "What is this war coming to when someone would try to bomb a hospital? I hope they catch that bomber soon."

Meanwhile Hitch paced his room while Tully watched him. The two of them were alone in the room; the MPs stood guard in the hall. He kept pausing to look at his watch before he would start pacing again. Tully placed his book on his bed and stood up to go to the window. He checked the street outside their room before turning back to watch Hitch again.

"Relax Hitch. Captain Boggs went over the plan and he thinks it will work."

"We should be there Tully. What if something goes wrong?"

"Doc is keeping an eye on Sarge and the MPs are there too. I don't think this guy will risk that many witnesses to get to Sarge."

"No, he'll just blow up the hospital." Hitch huffed.

"He tried that, it didn't work." Tully smiled. "The MPs are watching for that just in case. They have the whole place covered." He went on seriously. "They aren't taking any chances with this guy."

"I still don't like it. We should be there."

"Sarge would just worry about you if you were there. He thinks you're safer here and he can relax and take care of himself. It's better for everybody this way. We just have to trust the MPs to take care of Sarge and Doc."

"We take care of each other." Hitch argued. "We don't leave it up to someone else."

"That's what I'm doing." Tully answered.

"I don't like being separated."

Tully laughed. "Now you sound like Sarge."

"I have this bad feeling Tully." Hitch suddenly looked way too serious. "I can't explain it, but I don't like it. Something is going to go wrong, I just know it."

Tully shook his head. "Don't jinx this Hitch."

"I can't help it, it feels wrong."

"Maybe the bomber won't even go after Sarge. Sarge still doesn't remember anything."

"But Sarge is telling everybody that he's starting to remember things." Hitch argued. "What if the bomber believes it?"

"If he believes it he'll go for the trap."

"What if he knows it's a trap? Sarge and Doc could both be in trouble. Doc will try to protect Sarge and they're both wounded. If Doc gets in the way that bomber won't have any problem killing him too."

Tully hesitated. "You're just borrowing trouble we don't need Hitch."

"Maybe." Hitch agreed. "But I'd feel a lot better if I could be there to keep an eye on them. I'm not just saying this Tully; I really do have a bad feeling about this."

Tully looked toward the door.

Hitch saw his hesitation and nodded. "You don't need to be here Tully. The MPs will protect me and I'm not exactly helpless. I'll be okay. Sarge and Doc may need you. It's like Sarge said, he probably already realized that I can't identify him. He's probably already forgotten about me."

"You'll stay here, in this room?" Tully locked eyes with his best friend.

"Yeah Tully, I'll stay here."

"No leaving, for any reason, until I get back."

"No leaving." Hitch promised.

Tully looked at the door again.

"Go on. Something is wrong, I can feel it." Hitch urged.

Tully picked up his knife and headed for the door. "I'll go check on Sarge and Doc real quick and then I'll be right back."

Hitch nodded, eager for Tully to get going.

"You stay here." Tully repeated.

"There are guards on my door." Hitch reminded him. "How would I get out?"

Tully nodded once. "Okay, I'll be right back." He went to the door and peeked out. Seeing the guards on duty, he opened it wide enough to go out. "Lock the door behind me." He ordered. He waited until he heard the lock click before he turned to the guards. "I'm going out for a few minutes to check on my sergeants. I'll be back shortly."

The MPs looked at each other and one of them nodded. "We'll be right here."

Tully quickly descended the stairs to street level. He studied the street before he stepped out into the open. There wasn't much foot traffic and he felt exposed as he hurried toward the hospital. He shook himself as he walked. Hitch's unease must have been contagious; he was starting to feel it too. He glanced back the way he'd come, looking to see if he was being followed. Seeing no one, he continued on his way.

The further he went the stronger the feeling of dread became. He hurried on, thinking the feeling was associated with the hospital. His finger ached to hold the knife at his belt. It was all he could do to keep it sheathed until after he reached his destination. It wasn't long before he was wishing he had a machine gun instead of a knife. The feeling of dread was stronger than ever.

He paused and turned toward the laundry building. If the ruse was going to work the action would be over there. The base was quiet, too quiet, just as it had been since the bomber had first made his presence known. Tully looked toward the hospital, debating the wisdom of going there. The last thing he wanted was to lead a bomber to Troy and Moffitt. The guy had tried for Troy once and there was every reason to believe that he would try again. As he stood in the alley debating his choices Tully began to wonder how someone could have carried enough gasoline to build the bomb so close to the hospital without being noticed. Shouldn't someone have seen anyone delivering fuel to the rear of the building? How did the guy even know where Troy's bed was located? There had been a few visitors in and out of the section of the hospital where Troy was bunked, but not many. He would have to ask Hitch how many he had seen while he was there. The nurses might know but they may have been too busy to really take notice.

An explosion rocked the ground. Tully spun, searching for the source of the smoke that poured into the sky. Sirens began to wail as the bomber struck again. Jeeps carrying MPs armed to the teeth raced past Tully as he stood in the alley. He glanced anxiously toward the hospital but the MPs weren't headed that way. As he watched more of them rush past he realized that the explosion must have been near the abandoned building they had used as part of their plan to trap the bomber. Since that location had deliberately been leaked it didn't make much sense that the bomber would strike there. The bomber had managed to stay unidentified this long and that suggested that he was anything but stupid. He would have known that Troy wasn't in the abandoned building. If the bomb had been meant for Troy it would have been in the laundry building or at the hospital. Tully frowned; they were missing something. He mentally reviewed everything they knew about the bomber. Tully looked toward the hospital one more time and took off running.


	6. Chapter 6

**The Bomber **

By: AliasCWN

Chapter 6

The blast shattered the tension building in the hospital. Moffitt jerked at the sound and looked around anxiously for someone to ask about the explosion. It hadn't been close, he realized that, but that didn't mean that their plan had worked. .

No one came rushing through the door with weapons flashing. No MPs arrived to tell them it was over either. Moffitt's gaze met the eyes of the MPs but no one had answers.

Troy was asleep again; his head injury had weakened him more than he wanted to admit.

The minutes ticked by and Moffitt could hear a commotion outside as the sires continued to wail. He heard someone yelling something about a fire but he couldn't hear where it was located. Voices raced past the hospital as more and more men rushed to investigate the commotion.

It wasn't long before the smell of smoke drifted in through the hospital doors. The wounded began to cough as the smoke thickened. The doctors and nurses were kept busy trying to calm the frightened and confused men.

"The hospital is not on fire." One of the nurses kept repeating as she made her way along the long rows of beds. "The fire crews will get it under control long before it reaches us. Stay calm. It's all right."

"What happened?" One of the wounded asked.

"It's that bomber again I bet." Another of the wounded guessed.

"I sure wish somebody would catch that guy." Another patient responded.

"I heard that someone saw him." A fourth added. "They say the guy can identify him."

"The why doesn't he?" The third man wondered.

"I don't know." The fourth guy answered. "I guess the MPs are afraid that the bomber will try to kill the guy. I heard they were hiding him in one of the abandoned buildings on the base."

"You mean the one that just blew up?" The first guy asked. All heads turned toward him. As the closest one to the door he could hear more of what was being said by those passing the hospital on the street. "I just heard some guy say that the building that blew up was abandoned." He shrugged to tell them that that was all he knew.

"It was a trap." A new voice joined the conversation. "They were trying to catch the bomber. I guess it didn't work."

"How do you know?" A voice demanded.

"The building blew up." The first speaker responded. "If they caught the guy the building wouldn't have blown up."

"Maybe he committed suicide rather than get caught." Someone suggested hopefully.

An uneasy feeling swept over Moffitt. The word had gotten out that the first site was a trap, so why had the bomber hit that site instead of the laundry facility? "He's coming here." Moffitt turned to face the MPs who were suddenly looking at him. "The bomb was a diversion. He didn't attack the second site because he knew it was a trap."

The MPs immediately went on high alert. They reinforced the guards at the doors while others walked through the various wards to check for any suspicious activity. The longer the search went on the more tense everyone became.

"He used a gasoline bomb the last time." Moffitt reasoned. "He'll try something different this time. He knows we'll react to the smell of gasoline."

"Heck Sarge," one of the MPs growled, "a hand grenade would do the trick if he knew where to throw it."

"We have to assume he does." Moffitt replied seriously. "He knew where to place the bomb the last time and we have to assume that he knew about the trap."

"Then he probably knows about us." The second MP guessed. "How?"

"That's what we need to figure out." The British sergeant decided. "He's been one step ahead of us this entire time."

"It has to be someone we trust." The MP suggested. "A doctor or a nurse maybe."

"An orderly or another patient who heard the plan as we made it." A second MP suggested.

"It would have to be a patient who was released." Moffitt reasoned. "A current patient would not have been able to go out and set the bomb without being missed."

"Maybe he had a partner."

"He would have needed one." The MP confirmed. "Especially since this entire hospital is surrounded by guards." The first MP smiled at the surprised look he got from Moffitt. "Yeah, Captain Boggs liked your idea but he didn't want to risk getting the hospital blown up so he added extra guards. This place is completely surrounded."

"Perhaps that explains why he hasn't arrived yet. It's entirely possible he didn't know about them." Moffitt chuckled. "They must have come as quite a surprise."

"Too bad he saw them before they saw him." The MP grumbled.

"How can we be sure that that is what happened?" Moffitt asked reflectively. "Can we rule out the possibility that he already knew about them?"

"We haven't heard anything about him being arrested yet." The MP replied.

"True, but perhaps he is just biding his time. If the explosion was a diversion he would have had to act fast after the blast. Otherwise it was just a waste of explosives, that building was no great loss." Moffitt leaned back on his pillow and thought about what they had discovered. "Troy hasn't remembered anything yet." He finally spoke. "I suppose it's possible that he knows that and has decided to wait a bit longer. If Troy's memory doesn't come back he'll be safe."

The MP glanced over at Troy's sleeping form and nodded. "That's possible but I wouldn't take a chance like that if I were the bomber."

"Neither would I." Moffitt admitted.

"Too bad your private didn't get a better look at the guy he saw running away from the back of the hospital. It had to be our guy who planted that bomb."

"Hitch said he didn't get a good look at him. Perhaps if we question him again he would recall a few details he didn't think of earlier. That may be our only option at this point."

"Sometimes that happens." The MP nodded. "Guys see things but forget them in all of the excitement. We usually do a follow-up interview, just in case."

"Did you do one with Hitch?"

"Not that I'm aware of, at least not yet. Someone will get around to it sooner rather than later I suppose. They'll be back to question Sergeant Troy again too."

"I would think Hitch would be your best bet until Troy's memory comes back." Moffitt suggested.

"That's what we were thinking too." The MP confirmed. "That's why he's still under guard. The bomber could still go after him."

Moffitt paused when the MP suggested that Hitch could still be a target. "Tully is with him. He's as safe as we can make him under the circumstances."

"Yeah," the MP smirked, "I wouldn't want to go after any of your guys with that guy guarding them."

"Tully can be very protective." Moffitt smiled.

"I noticed."

"Ah, I hear someone coming." Moffitt looked toward the door. "Perhaps we will learn how well we've done."

The MP at the door stepped back to allow half a dozen new MPs to enter the room.

"Is everyone all right here?" The MP sergeant asked.

"We're fine Sarge." One of the MP's answered. "Everything's been quiet here." He smiled. "We heard the explosion outside though."

"Did we get him?" The second MP asked.

"He blew up that abandoned building." The sergeant growled. "We had two men guarding it. They had orders to stay outside and allow themselves to be seen once in a while."

"We know." The first MP replied.

"That's the only reason they're still alive." The sergeant continued. "The entire building is gone. One man was injured and the other was shaken up pretty badly."

"Can they identify the bomber?"

"They never saw anyone. The only thing we can figure is that the bomber placed the bomb there before we put our plan into action."

"Then he had to have known about it ahead of time." Moffitt interrupted.

"That's the only explanation that makes sense." The MP agreed.

"Then he probably knows Troy is here too."

"We've doubled the guards."

"What guards?" Moffitt asked.

"The guards around the hospital."

"What if it's not Troy he's after?"

More men crowed into the hospital. One of them approached the sergeant of the MPs'. He held a piece of paper in his hand.

"Hey Sarge, we found this at the site of the last bomb. It was pinned to the wall behind the building." The paper was slightly charred but had survived the blast mostly undamaged. "It's addressed to Sergeant Troy."

The sergeant of the MPs took the note and unfolded it. His eyes widened as he read the words. Finished, he crumpled it in his hand with an angry look on his face.

"He got Hitch, didn't he?" The bomber's plan suddenly became clear. Moffitt looked toward Troy as he waited for an answer.

The MP sergeant looked up and met Moffitt's worried eyes. The single bob of his head was the only answer needed.

Moffitt dropped back against the pillows. "Tully was guarding Hitch. In order for the bomber to get to Hitch he would have had to go through both of your guards and Tully. How are we going to tell Troy?"


	7. Chapter 7

**The Bomber**

By: AliasCWN

Chapter 7

After Tully left Hitch sat on his bed and worried. He tried to read a book to pass the time but he couldn't concentrate. He was pacing the floor of the room again when he heard the explosion. He hurried to the window but it faced in the wrong direction. He didn't even bother to look out because he had been warned to stay away from the window in case someone wanted to take a shot at him. He stayed to one side of the window for several minutes trying to make sense of the bits of conversations he heard as people rushed past. The little he did hear convinced him that the people running past didn't know any more than he did so far.

He heard someone in the hall yell fire as voices began to mingle outside his door. He had been told to keep his door locked unless Tully or one of his guards said otherwise. A fist ponded on his door and a voice he recognized as belonging to one of his guards yelled at him to open up. Rushing to the door he opened it for the guard. Heavy smoke was pouring under the door and billowed into the room as the door opened. His guard started coughing, motioning for him to come out.

"The barracks are on fire!" The guard yelled. "We have to get out of here."

Hitch looked past him to see the second guard down with an MP in a gas mask standing over him trying to lift him to his feet. He rushed forward to help but the guard waved him on. "Keep going, I've got him. Use the back stairs, the fire is out front."

Hitch and his guard headed for the back stairs. They were halfway down when the guard tripped and fell, nearly taking Hitch with him. Hitch twisted to see the guard with the gas mask coming down behind him.

"Where's the guard?"

"He stayed to help some other guys trapped in their rooms." The guard answered. "Help me get this guy to the truck."

Hitch bent down to help pick up the fallen guard. He saw the club coming down out of the corner of his eye but not in time to duck it. The wooden baton connected with the back of his head and he crumpled to the stairs.

The MP in the gas mask bent down and tossed Hitch over his shoulder. Leaving the guard where he fell he hurried down the stairs to the truck parked outside the back door. He lifted Hitch over the tailgate and followed him into the back of the truck. He cuffed his hands behind his back and secured his feet before gagging him. After checking to be sure no one was watching he jumped over the tailgate and climbed into the cab. The truck drove away while everyone was watching the barracks. Once clear he pulled the gas mask off and drove slowly along the street, being careful not to attract any attention.

When Hitch came around he was in a room with no windows. A heavy chain ran from the handcuffs to a ring imbedded in the stone wall. Hitch tried to wiggle the ring but it was solid. The chain itself was thick with welded links that left no way to pull them apart. His feet had been secured with another chain that led to another ring in the floor. He tried that ring too but there was not much give there either.

As his eyes adjusted to the darkness he tried to see around the room. The floor was stone, brushed smooth with years of wear. The walls were stone too but they were rougher, with sharp edges protruding in places. If he had been tied with rope he may have been able to free himself if given enough time. The chains made that possibility less likely. He straightened and leaned his back against the wall. The only exit was the door he assumed he had entered. He could see dim light leaking in under the door. He listened but he didn't hear any sounds outside the door.

His head hurt from the blow and his lungs hurt from the smoke. He took a deep breath and started coughing. He tried to stifle it, not wanting his captors to know he was awake. The sight of the masked MP had surprised him. An MP was the last person he would have expected to kidnap him. He thought about the two guards and hoped they had gotten out of the burning building safely. He sat in the damp room and tried to decide what he could do to escape, and nothing came to mind.

It wasn't hard to figure out how the bomber had stayed free so long, no one was looking for an MP. He knew the guy would have the advantage in the search because he would know where the other MP's were looking for him. Hitch hoped someone figured it out before the bomber tried to get Troy again. He leaned against the cool wall and fell asleep waiting for the next development.

The creak of the door awakened him from a restless sleep. He lowered his head and pretended to be asleep as a lantern was carried into the room. Through half closed lids he watched three men enter his prison. One stopped just inside the door while the other two came closer. One held the lantern as the third man knelt next to Hitch.

Hitch felt a hand grip his hair and lift his head. He opened his eyes to stare into the face of a scruffy Arab. The man smelled like old grease and spices. His black teeth were crooked and some of them were missing. The foul odor of his breath made Hitch want to gag. A scraggly beard hung limp nearly to the man's waist, streaked with gray and dirty looking. Beady black eyes spaced too close together stared into Hitch's face.

Hitch tried to look defiant but the man only laughed in delight. He ran his fingers through Hitch's blond locks. He turned to say something to the man holding the lantern. The other man laughed and nodded his head in agreement. Hitch took advantage of the distraction to clamp his teeth down on the man's wrist. The Arab jumped away, pulling his arm free and shaking it. He backhanded Hitch across the face in his anger. Then, perhaps thinking he may have damaged the goods, he knelt clear of Hitch and studied his face.

Blood trickled from the corner of the private's mouth. A split lip was a fair price to pay for having done a little damage of his own Hitch decided. He licked the blood away and grinned at his captor. The man holding the lantern seemed more upset then the one Hitch had bitten. He looked like he wanted to continue the punishment but the other man stopped him. Giving Hitch one more appraising look, he turned and led the way from the room. The one holding the lantern threw Hitch a warning glare before following the other man out.

The third man stayed behind until the others were gone before he stepped out of the room and pulled the door shut behind him. Hitch heard a lock snap shut before the last of the footsteps faded down the hall.

Alone again Hitch leaned his aching head against the cool wall and tried to think. He was no stranger to Arabs taking note of his fair skin and blond hair. They seemed to like his blue eyes too, especially the women. Normally he just ignored their interest as they were only curious. This had felt much more sinister. When the Arab grabbed his hair he had felt a tremor of fear run through him. He had seen slave traders on occasion, and he hated them. He knew if that was to be his fate he had to escape before he could be taken from the base. He tried frantically to come up with a plan that gave him a chance. That was Troy's department, coming up with escape plans. He wouldn't wish for the sergeant to be captured by slavers but that didn't stop him from wishing that the sergeant was there.

The time slipped away without any new ideas. He was thinking of suicide by slaver by the time he heard the footsteps outside the door again. He wondered if he could make the slaver mad enough to kill him outright. Remembering the way the slaver had stopped the other man; he decided that the other Arab would be a better target. He hadn't looked like he would have a problem killing his prisoner. Hitch braced himself to fight.

The lock clicked and the door creaked open. The faint light from outside didn't penetrate the darkness of the small room. There was no lantern light to identify his visitor this time. Hitch pulled his legs up so he could use his feet as a weapon. He tensed in the darkness, waiting for his target to get closer. If he could only get in one good kick he was sure the Arab would react in the necessary manner. If biting the slaver had made him angry then getting kicked was nearly a sure bet to get him angry enough to kill.

The chains on his wrists rattled as he shifted positions. His visitor stopped, apparently listening for his location. Hitch rattled the chains again to try to draw him nearer. The dark form inched closer, almost near enough for him to carry out his plan.

He held his breath as the visitor stopped again. Only a few more feet, that's all he needed. His muscles started to cramp from being chained in the damp room for so long. The more he tensed in anticipation of the strike the more they knotted and protested. He tried to quietly work the cramps out while he waited for the visitor to move closer, first one arm and then the other. Moving his legs meant losing the advantage if the Arab moved too close before he could strike so he opted to wait until later to relieve those cramps. The silence stretched on as each man waited for the other to move.

The visitor finally took the next step. Hitch braced to kick out. A match flared and Hitch got his first confirmation of his visitor's identity. He froze in shock.


	8. Chapter 8

**The Bomber**

By: AliasCWN

Chapter 8

Troy awoke with a start, jerking in the bed so hard he nearly fell out.

"Troy are you all right?" Moffitt called to the other sergeant when he saw him flailing in the sheets.

"Get these bandages off me!" Troy pulled at the bandages that covered his face. "Get them off!"

A nurse rushed over to calm him but he wouldn't be pacified. He continued to pull at the strips of bandage in an agitated manner.

"Take them off." Moffitt told the nurse. "It doesn't matter now; they aren't serving any purpose any longer."

Troy twitched anxiously as the nurse carefully removed the bandages from his face.

"Calm down Troy." Moffitt urged. "She's working as fast as she can to remove them." The British sergeant squinted his eyes as he looked at Troy. "What is it Troy? What's wrong?"

"I don't know." Troy answered as he fought to control his breathing. "A nightmare I guess. I saw Private Hitchcock, Hitch; he was looking at me. He looked scared; I've never seen him look scared." Troy took a deep breath in an effort to calm himself.

"It was just a dream." Moffitt murmured.

"It felt real. All I could see was his face in the dark, looking at me with those big scared eyes." Troy shook his head to clear the image.

"Troy, calm down. You need to relax."

"Where is Hitch?" Troy demanded. "He's safe, right?" He twisted to look at Moffitt.

"Troy."

"Tell me he's safe." Troy demanded.

"Our plan didn't work out quite as we had hoped it would." Moffitt admitted.

Troy seemed to freeze in mid-breath. His eyes narrowed and he looked past Moffitt to the MPs. No one spoke for several seconds. Troy straightened in the bed and faced the guards. "What happened?"

The sergeant of the MPs shifted self-consciously under Troy's scrutiny. "Our bomber may be an insider." The MP sergeant explained. "We think he knew about the plan all along. Sergeant Moffitt was the one to point out that he's been one step ahead of us since the very beginning."

"What happen?" Troy repeated quietly. Even though his voice was low none of those present were fooled into thinking that he had accepted the explanation so far. He watched them closely as he waited for his answer.

The MPs shifted uncomfortably again and left their sergeant to answer the question. "He blew up the abandoned building. He used that as a distraction while he set fire to the barracks. He ran in wearing a gas mask and knocked out both guards before taking Hitchcock. People saw him but they never saw his face. He got away clean."

"He wants you to meet him at the laundry facility to talk about a trade." Moffitt added.

"Do it."

"Troy. We have to assume that it's a trap."

"No Moffitt, I got Hitch into this and I have to get him out."

"Tully's gone too."

"Tully?" Troy turned back to Moffitt in surprise. "What happened to him?"

"We don't know. He was supposed to be staying with Hitch. He left a few minutes before the attack. He told the guards he was going to check on us and come right back. He never got this far. No one has seen him."

"Maybe he's the bomber." One of the MP's suggested. "He knew about the plan. Heck, he's the one who came up with it."

"He didn't need to go to all of that trouble to grab Hitch." Moffitt argued. "They're friends. Hitch would have gone with him willingly."

"Maybe this is his way to avoid suspicion. For all we know they may both be in on it."

"They were on their way to supply when the motor pool was bombed." Moffitt argued.

"Tully's not the bomber. Neither one of them are." Troy interrupted.

"Troy? Have you remembered something?"

"Yeah." The sergeant nodded slowly. "It's still a bit hazy but I know one thing…the bomber had an MP band on his arm."

"An MP? Are you sure?" The MP's in the room looked at each other uneasily.

"I'm sure." Troy nodded. "My memories are still just flashes of my past but they're getting more frequent and clearer all the time."

"But you still can't identify him or give us a description to go on?" The MP sergeant asked.

"No."

"We only have about a half hour to agree to the meet." The MP noted. "The message said he'd kill Hitchcock if we don't meet his deadline."

"I already agreed." Troy growled. "I'm not going to let that kid die because I sent him out to check on a smell."

"He wants to kill you Troy, and he'll probably kill Hitch whether you agree to the meet or not." Moffitt warned.

"I have to give the kid a chance." Troy insisted. "If I don't go he's dead for sure."

"We'll do our best to keep you safe." The MP sergeant promised.

"Keep Hitch safe." Troy replied. "I can take care of myself."

"You're not going alone." Moffitt insisted. "I'm going with you." When Troy would have argued Moffitt shut him down with a wave of his hand. "We're a team; we take care of each other."

The MPs loaded both sergeants into a jeep to take them to the laundry facility. They approached slowly, ever mindful of the possibility of a sniper. When the jeep was close it stopped and Troy climbed out of his seat to face the building.

"Sergeant Troy is here." The head MP shouted. They all listened for a response but there was no answer. He shouted again with the same results. They were debating their next move when an MP ran up to them with a paper in his hand.

"I found this note Sarge." The MP stated. He was a bit out of breath from running. "I found it tucked under a rock over there." He turned to point toward a wall nearby.

The sergeant looked where he pointed and nodded. Taking the note he quickly unfolded it. "It says Hitchcock is inside." He read. "Once you are inside you are supposed to free Hitchcock and take his place."

Troy looked toward the building and frowned. "He's not in there. If he is in there he's already dead. I can't see the bomber allowing me to turn him loose. He probably knows who he is by now."

"What do you want us to do Sergeant?" The MP asked.

"First I want you to arrest this man." Troy pointed at the MP who had delivered the last message. "He's the bomber."

"What?" As the MP's turned to Troy in surprise the MP in question jumped back and reached for his sidearm. He had his weapon clear and was lifting it to shoot Troy when several shots rang out.

"No" Troy yelled. He watched in horror as the bomber fell to the ground. Stumbling over to the wounded man he screamed in his face. "What did you do with Hitch? Where is he?"

"Gone." The bomber smiled. "Some Arab friends of mine sold him to a slaver. Got a pretty good price too. That was the price they wanted for their help." The bomber coughed several times before continuing. "You'll never find him now." His body convulsed in another string of coughs before he went limp. His head rolled to the side and the light left his eyes. His last breath rattled in his throat and he was gone.

"No!" Troy called again. He turned toward Moffitt with a grief stricken face. "We needed him alive!"

Moffitt nodded and looked toward the building. "We need to look inside. I doubt that he's in there, but we need to know for sure." He tried to keep a positive outlook but he knew the odds were against them.

"Not until it's cleared." The MP sergeant insisted. He stepped in their way when they would have gone anyway. "There's a good chance that building is set to explode. No one goes in until it's been cleared."

"We need to know." Troy insisted. "The longer we wait the more time they have to take him away."

"I'm sorry Sergeant; we need to clear the building first." The MP repeated.

Troy dropped to the ground. Moffitt eased down beside him and the two of them watched as the bomb squad was called to clear the building.

"We'll check it as soon as it's cleared Troy." Moffitt promised. "We'll find him."

"You can't promise that." Troy moaned. "Once the slavers get him he could disappear into the desert forever. We'll never find him."

Moffitt smiled sadly. "This is not the best time for you to remember that. It seems your memory is coming back."

"I'm remembering more and more." Troy nodded. He looked toward the building where the bomb squad was moving in carefully to check for explosives. "I remember I always said I'd keep them safe."

"Even they knew that that was an impossible promise to keep." Moffitt replied. "They knew you tried but they also knew there were never any guarantees."

"I failed them both."

"You did your best. They're soldiers. They can usually take care of themselves. I, for one, refuse to give up until we find the bodies." Moffitt looked over at Troy. "You're usually the one to say that. You aren't giving up are you?"

Troy dropped his head in exhaustion. "No, I'm not ready to admit we lost them yet. But we can't wait Moffitt. We need to start doing something to find them now."

Moffitt looked toward the dead bomber and nodded. "It's quite likely that you are correct; he's not in there. Dying men seldom lie. And if that is the case, Hitch was sold to a slaver. You're right, time is of the essence. I'll start talking to my contacts. Perhaps someone knows of a slaver in the area."

Moffitt struggled to his feet and approached the MPs.

"It's not clear yet Sergeant." The head MP warned.

"We have come to the conclusion that Private Hitchcock is not in there. Of course we would like you to make certain of it as soon as you can, but we feel we need to pursue other options." Moffitt explained. "Would it be possible to get a ride to the Arab sector? I need to contact some friends to get an investigation started." Moffitt looked toward the jeep that had brought them to the planned meeting.

The MP nodded. "I'll have one of my men take you there. But after you talk to your contacts I want both you and Sergeant Troy to return to the hospital. We'll search the building and let you know what we find."

"Thank you." Moffitt replied. "But I suspect that all you will find is a bomb."

Two MP's bent to help Troy to his feet. They supported him as he slid into the jeep seat.

"Sergeant Troy!" A truck pulled up next to the jeep and the driver called to Troy.

Troy turned to look, impatient to be on his way to the Arab quarter with Moffitt. "What is it?"

"We found something that belongs to you." The MP driving the truck grinned as he jerked his head toward the rear of the vehicle.

Troy twisted to look as Tully jumped over the tailgate.

"Tully!" Troy and Moffitt both cried together.

"Hey Sarge, Doc." Tully called as he moved away from the truck. He was no sooner out of the way when Hitch jumped to the ground beside him.

"Hitch!"

"Hi Sarge. Are you guys okay?"

"Us?" Troy demanded. "We weren't the ones who disappeared."

"Yeah, that wasn't supposed to happen." Hitch replied. "I'm glad the MPs weren't hurt though."

"What happened?" Moffitt asked as he watched the two privates approach the jeep. As far as he could tell neither of them were injured.

"Some guy set the barracks on fire." Hitch explained. "He came running in in a gas mask and told everybody to get out. Everybody thought he was just helping. He knocked out both of my guards and hit me over the head when I tried to help the second one. He caught me off guard; I thought he was an MP. He was dressed like one. But I can identify him Sarge. I got a good look this time."

"Is this the guy?" The MP sergeant lifted the tarp that covered the body on the ground. Hitch and Tully both looked and nodded.

"Yeah, that's him. I guess it's over now." Hitch stated.

"How did you get away?" Troy asked his driver.

"Tully found me." Hitch answered with a smile for Tully. "That guy gave me to some Arabs and they were going to sell me I think." Hitch shuddered at the memory of the filthy Arab leering at him.

"How did Tully find you?"

Tully took up the explanation. "I left the room to check on you two. I was going to go right back. I hadn't gone very far when I heard the explosion over at the abandoned building. The MPs were rushing past so I stopped to wait until the road was clear again. While I was waiting I got to wondering why the bomber would blow up a building he knew was a trap. I don't know Sarge," Tully shook his head, "it didn't make any sense."

Troy encouraged him to go on.

"I decided I needed to go back to watch Hitch. I got there too late to stop the kidnapping but I saw him load Hitch into a truck. I followed him to the Arab quarter where he left Hitch with two Arabs. While I was waiting for my chance I saw a third Arab go into the house. I didn't like the looks of that one. I waited for my chance and went in and got Hitch."

"You took on three Arabs?" The MP asked.

"Not all at once." Tully explained. "The first two guys left the building. That only left the third guy inside. Like I said, I didn't like the looks of that one so I didn't have any problems with killing him when he came at me. Then I found Hitch. He was chained to a wall and I couldn't break the chains. The third guy didn't have the keys so I had to wait for the other two to come back before I could get Hitch out of there."

"Where are they now?" Moffitt asked even though he thought he knew.

"Back at the house." Tully answered. "They didn't want to give Hitch up. I had to persuade them. I think they were planning on selling him. We argued and I won." Tully finished simply. "I wasn't about to let them sell Hitch."

Troy smiled. "You did good."

"I thought so." Hitch agreed with a big grin for Tully.

"With the bomber dead we can all get back to our normal lives." Moffitt sighed in relief.

"And now Sarge can relax and let his memories return without any pressure." Hitch agreed. "He can take as long as he needs."

"You wouldn't be saying that because you think I've forgotten that I caught you goofing off last week would you?" Troy asked with a growl.

"You remember that Sarge?" Hitch asked in astonishment.

"I remember." Troy confirmed.

"That's great!" The blond responded enthusiastically. Then he reddened. "I guess I had a little memory loss too. I forgot all about that incident. Honest Sarge, I wasn't thinking about that at all!"

"That's all right Hitch." Troy grinned at his driver's protests. "I guess that's one memory we don't need to hang on to. Forget it, I did."


	9. Chapter 9

**The Bomber **

By: AliasCWN

Chapter 9

Captain Boggs read the report on the recent bombing on the base. The bomber had finally been caught but there were still a lot of unanswered questions. The MPs were still investigating and they hadn't sent their final report to the captain's office yet but several disturbing things had already been uncovered.

The bomber, an MP with a clean service record, hadn't even been a suspect. They had been looking everywhere but in the right direction. If Sergeant Troy hadn't regained his memory they may have never caught the culprit. Well, that wasn't exactly true; after the bomber had kidnapped Private Hitchcock both privates had gotten a good look at him. Either one of them would have identified him if Troy hadn't already done so.

The bomber's motives were still unclear though. That was the question that kept Captain Boggs awake at night. If one of his men could turn against his fellow soldiers then it could happen again. What had caused an average soldier to turn bomber? Perhaps the stresses of being an MP on a combat base had gotten to him. No one who knew him had noticed any drastic change in his behavior. There were unsubstantiated reports that he had found a girlfriend, but that was still under investigation.

The captain sighed and picked up the next report on his desk. This one brought a smile to his face. Sergeant Troy and Sergeant Moffitt had both been released from the hospital. It was a relief to know that both men were recovering and would soon be back on duty. Private Hitchcock and Private Pettigrew were still working in the motor pool, taking up the slack resulting from the original bombing. Headquarters was sending more mechanics to replace the ones killed in the explosion but they hadn't arrived yet. The younger 'rats' were a welcomed addition to the crew. Captain Boggs smiled, wondering if the trucks pouring into the motor pool received the same meticulous care that their two jeeps received. At least the work made good use of their talents while keeping them too busy to get into trouble.

A knock on his door interrupted his line of thought. "Come in." He called as he set the report aside.

Sergeant Moffitt walked slowly into the office. "Good morning Captain."

"Morning Sergeant." Boggs nodded. "Is there something I can help you with?" Boggs paused. "Those two privates haven't gotten into any trouble have they?"

"No, nothing like that." Moffitt assured him. "They seem to be enjoying the work in the motor pool."

"Good." The captain nodded. "We can sure use their help."

"I am here on another matter actually." Moffitt continued.

The captain leaned back in his chair and nodded at the seat in front of his desk. "Have a seat Sergeant." He noticed that the sergeant still looked a bit pale.

"Thank you sir."

"How are you doing Sergeant?"

"Fine sir." Moffitt answered. "I've been resting a lot. But I still had time to help investigate the circumstances surrounding the bomber."

"I see, and did you find out anything that would shed some light on the motive?"

"Actually, I did." Moffitt replied. The captain suddenly took a keener in interest in the conversation.

"Go on."

"I was talking to my contacts." The Brit explained. "It seems that the MP in question got mixed up with a local woman. According to his closest friends he was convinced that he was in love with her. I checked into the woman and her connections. She has some rather suspicious friends. I was able to connect her to some local German sympathizers. It looks like she talked him into planting the bombs as a means of showing his devotion. Men will do strange things for a woman and this one took full advantage of it. She played him like a fiddle." Moffitt announced. "She threatened to withhold her affections unless he did as she asked. I suppose he thought that he would lose her if he didn't do as she asked. Unfortunately, he never really had her in the first place. She was just using him. He was just another pawn in her desire to please her real lover, a German officer from one of the nearby bases." Moffitt smiled. "Unless I am reading this wrong I think he is just using her too. She can't see that of course but that's the way it looks to me."

"So this woman is the source of our problem?"

"Yes sir. We can't do much to her; she hasn't committed any crimes that we can prove. Our bomber isn't even available to confirm or deny our deductions."

Boggs considered the information. "So we can't touch her and she gets to pick another sucker to do her bidding again?"

Moffitt bit his lip and nodded. "That's about the size of it."

"So what can we do?"

"We can keep an eye on her until she does do something we can prosecute." Moffitt saw Captain Boggs flinch at the suggestion. "Or we can ask her to leave the base."

"Would she?" Boggs asked eagerly.

"I doubt it." Moffitt admitted.

The captain looked discouraged. "That's our only option?"

"No." Moffitt admitted. "There is one more thing we can try."

"Will it work?"

"I don't know. It would mean asking some of my friends to step in and remove her from the base. I'm not sure they would be willing to do so just because I ask."

"I hate to ask the Arabs to step in but she has to be dealt with, one way or another."

Moffitt nodded. "I'll ask them. The most they can do is say no."

The final report on the bomber was on his desk and the MPs had come to the same conclusion as Sergeant Moffitt. Captain Boggs was still waiting to hear back from Moffitt on what his friends had told him. There had been no more incidents and things had returned to normal, much to the captain's relief.

Sergeant Moffitt knocked on the door and entered at a call from the captain. "I heard back from my Arab friends."

"And?"

"The woman will be leaving the base with her entire family by the end of today. Her friends have been warned that they are being watched and they have decided to leave too. I think that we can say our problem has been resolved."

"Good." The captain nodded. "Be sure to thank your friends for their help in this matter."

"It turns out they were glad to help." Moffitt smiled. "The woman has been causing trouble for them too. She won't be returning to the base any time in the near future."

"Then I will consider this matter closed."

"If you will excuse me then, I promised to meet the others in our quarters for a game of matchstick poker. I'm feeling lucky today." Moffitt saluted and left the office.

Captain Boggs watched him walk down the street, feeling lucky himself.


End file.
